“Looking back on the year that has passed, it is easy to see how much we as individuals, as a university and as a nation have changed and matured. The University of Akron, progress can be seen on an hourly basis. The most obvious is the new stadium being built.”
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Looking back on the year that has passed, it is easy to see how much we as individuals, as a university and as a nation have changed and matured.

The University of Akron, progress can be seen on an hourly basis. The most obvious is the new stadium being built.

The project has been up and running for over a year now, and it’s finally taking shape. We are only months away from filling it with thousands of excited fans, ready to begin a new era for the university.

On a national scale, we were able to witness another historic election, not because of the candidates involved, but because we had another successful change of power in this country.

No other nation in the history of the world has been able to accomplish this of power without some kind of violent uprising in response to the results. This demonstrates that no matter how cutthroat an election is, the other political side is able to accept defeat and try harder next time.

Taking all of this into account should reaffirm the idea that it is a blessing to live in this country, but what should concern you is the way power has changed in this country and how Americans ignored political issues and instead focused on image and good looks.

A new candidate, Barack Obama, entered the scene.

He was immediately accepted with rock star status and praised as if he was sent from the heavens.

No one from students on campus, to the newspapers to the national media ever questioned his motives or beliefs.

The hardest questions he received were not during a debate, but rather from Joe the Plumber.

Shouldn’t we as Americans be wise enough to know that political candidates work for us?

What disappointed me most this past year was how ignorant and oblivious the majority of Americans were in deciding their candidate.

What we needed this past November was a candidate who was going to represent all of our interests. That being said, we as a nation should have treated this election as if we were interviewing the candidates for the job they applied for.

We needed to look at their resumés, determine if they had enough experience and listen to what their realistic goals were.

Instead, Americans shut off their ability to think logically and simply jumped on the train to change.

It is frightening that so many people can blindly walk into an agreement with so little knowledge about the ramifications.

As human beings we need to assess and weigh the pros and cons of everything we do, no matter how insignificant the situation may be.

We cannot be caught in the trap of accepting everything we hear as fact. We must do our research, read other publications, watch other news channels and question those professors who might try to indoctrinate us.

The bottom line is that we must value this experiment called the United States of America and take advantage of all the opportunities that come with it.

That means with the blessing of being able to vote, because we truly believe in what we are voting for, not because everyone wants to. Understand the underpinnings of this nation and compare them to the values of politicians. Don’t be satisfied with following someone else’s lead.

As we enter these summer months there needs to be a change in the way politicians and celebrities are viewed.

People should think about the words that come out of their mouths and compare them to the morals and values they hold.

Take everything you hear with a grain of salt because there’s always an agenda to be had. We live in the greatest nation on earth because of the freedoms we possess.

Don’t become stagnant in thinking that those freedoms were free. We can only retain them through being active and intelligent citizens.

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